Carton having attached carton opener



July 6, 1943. R, L, KAYE 2,323,335

CARTON HAVING ATTACHED CARTON OPENER Filed June 29, 1940 INVENTOR Pom-1mL Kava ATTORNEY.

Patented July 6, 1943 Ubll'l STATES *l QEElQE.

CARTON HAVING ATTACHED CARTON OPENER 2 Claims.

The invention relates to paper cartons having assembled therewith acarton opener, wherein the opener is designed to be shipped with thecarton, being aflixed thereto and readily accessible for opening thecarton.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a simple form ofopener adapted for various sizes of cartons. Another feature is toprovide a carton opener having a pull string sealed with directions foropening. Another feature of the invention is the provision of a cartonopener having a seal covering the opener and holding the same inassembled position upon the carton until needed in opening the carton.

The invention will be more readily understood by reference to theaccompanying drawing and the further detailed description which areintended by way of illustration rather than by way of limitation.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 indicates a carton shown equipped with one form of carton openerat one side thereof and provided with another form of opener at one end.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one form of opener including a cuttingblade and two guide plates assembled therewith.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section through the carton showing the first formof box opener in position ready for shipment.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4 of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a simplified form of cutter.

An ordinary form of shipping carton formed of corrugated paperboard isindicated generally by the reference numeral [0. This carton is providedwith side walls, one of which is indicated at l I, and end walls, one ofwhich is indicated at l2. These walls may be of any desired thicknessand are preferably made of inner and outer layers with corrugationsconnecting the two as is usual in cartons of this type. It will beunderstood, however, that the invention is not limited to any particularform of carton. The top of the carton is indicated at l3.

According to the present invention the carton is shown as provided witha printed guide line or groove 14 herein shown as extending along theupper portions of the side and end walls and separating the side and endwalls from the top. It will be understood, however, that the printedguide line may be placed in any desired position to open the box asrequired.

In Fig. 1 one form of carton opener or cutter A is shown assembled withthe carton on the side wall I I and a second form of cutter Bisindicated on the end wall l2. It will be understood, however, that thisshowing is simply for convenience in illustrating the two types ofcutters and a single cutter will generally be sufficient for use with aparticular carton.

The carton opening A is shown in detail in Fig. 2 and comprises a blademember If: having cutting edges Hi and I! in V form. A pair of tabs I8and I9 extend from one lateral edge of the blade and a second pair 20,2| extend from the opposite edge of the blade member. These tabs are or"substantial length and are intended to fit into corresponding slots in apair of front and rear guide plates 22, 23. The plate 22 is designed tofit on the outside of the carton and is provided with a bead 24 adaptedto slide in the groove M in the carton. The rear plate fits on theinside of the carton and holds the blade in cutting position. It will beunderstood that the carton cutter is assembled prior to the closing ofthe top of the box which is then sealed in the usual manner by means ofsealing strips or the like. Owing to the length of the tabs I8, I9, 20and 2| the cutter may be used with cartons having walls of variousthicknesses. It will also be noted that the tongues are bent in oppositedirections for a given plate so as to hold the cutter in assembledposition.

The front plate 22 is shown as provided with an eye member 25 integraltherewith for attachment of a pull string 21. This pull string isdesigned to be sealed to the box by means of a label 28 having printedinstructions thereon describing the operation of the cutter. This labelmay also extend over the front plate of the cutter so as to conceal thesame during shipment of the carton. Preferably a small portion of thepull string extends beyond the label so as to be in an accessibleposition.

When the carton has reached its destination and it is desired to openthe box it is only necessary to grasp the end of the pull string anddraw the cutter in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1,thereby bringing the V- shaped cutting edges [6 and IT into operation.The bead 24 on the front plate of the cutter member rides in the groovel4 and insures even cutting. The rear plate 23, being a part of theassembled cutting device, slides on the inside of the box and serves asa guide.

' A simplified form of carton cutter is indicated at B in Fig. 1 and. isshown in detail in Fig. 5. This carton cutter is provided with a singleguide plate 30 which fits on the outside of the carton and has formedintegral therewith a cutting blade 3|, shown preferably projecting atright angles thereto and when the box is ready for shipment such bladeextends into the box at any suitable position along the printed groove[4. This form of cutter is shown as provided with a thumb piece 32integral with the plate 30 and with the cutting blade 3| and formed inthe same plane as the guide plate 30. This thumb piece is shaped to fitthe thumb of the operator so that by the application of pressure a blade3! will be forced into the material of which the carton is composed. Thecutting edge of the blade 3| is indicated at 33. The plate 38 is shownas provided with a pair of apertures 34 which may be used for theattachment of a pull cord 35 similar to the cord 21 employed in thefirst described modification of the invention. The pull cord 35 andpreferably the entire exposed portions of the guide plate 30 and thumbpiece 32 may be covered with a suitable seal 36 to hold the cartoncutter in position. This seal should be provided with directions foropening the carton. 'When it is desired to open the carton theprojecting end of the pull cord is grasped by the operator and pulledoutwardly with sufiicient force to break the seal. The carton cutter isthen accessible and may be drawn lengthwise alon the groove 14 with theblade 3| extending into the material of the box and held in position bymeans of the thumb piece 32 to which pressure is applied.

Numerous modifications and variations of the invention may be resortedto Without departing from the spirit of the invention in its broadestaspects. It will be understood however that the two forms of cartoncutters herein described, while both suitable for use in opening cartonsand adapted to be shipped therewith, difier from one another in materialrespects and each possesses advantages over the other. Thus the firstform of device is more positive in its operation but the second form ofcarton cutter is simpler and less expensive to produce. It will 7 befurther understood that only one carton cutter is essential with aparticular carton.

I claim:

1. A carton cutter comprising a pair of spaced guide plates, a cutterblade connecting the gui e plates, and secured thereto by means ofbentover tabs, said blade having a cutting edge extending between thetwo guide plates, one of the guide plates having a bead adapted to fit agroove formed in the exterior face of the carton.

2. A slidable carton cutter comprising a pair of straight parallel guideplates each adapted to closely engage the interior and exterior of astraight-sided box during the cutting operation, a separable platemember extending between the two guide plates and having a cutting edge,and means for adjusting the distance between the guide plates to conformto the thickness of the particular carton to which the cutter isapplied.

ROBERT LEE KAYE.

